My Graphic Design Career

Jokes on you – I’m already doing it for free: Content Creation.

I have been a content creator for over a decade now, with nine published novels and over 350 articles to my name [sadly, most dead since the magazines and sites went down]. Overall, I’ve probably made a maximum of £10k in the past decade from this type of work.

There are a few reasons for it, but mostly because freelancing can be difficult when you don’t have a massive audience. 

What I’m a firm believer in is helping small businesses. As a freelancer, small businesses are typically my target audience for my graphic design and content writing work. That’s not to say other freelancers haven’t ordered from me, and I’ve worked for several big companies, too, but small businesses are usually the people that come to me for graphic design.

Therefore, I’ve regularly done designs for small businesses in exchange for their services or products. I’ve received a lot of stationary, signed book copies, and even music from people I’ve worked with in exchange for my services.

Do I do this all the time? No. Mainly because, sadly, stationary doesn’t pay the bills and doesn’t put food on the table. But I’m always open to receiving that kind of proposition. 

So, what would I be very eager to accept in return for my services?

• Ephemera: this can be anything from cute clothes price tags to doilies. Papers, destroyed books, anything that could be implemented into a journal spread, I’ll take it.
• Music: If you’re an artist and you’re bringing out an album or single, I’ll take a copy! I love music, it’s one of the things that keeps me going.
• Sugar-Free Lollipops: Because my ADHD loves sucking on something while I work (I know this sounds terrible, but I’m not changing it. Get your mind out of the gutter).
• Blank Bullet Journals and Sketchbooks: I always need more space to create!
• Branded Stationary: If you’re a small business and you have a biro with your company name on it, I’ll take it. Notepad? Mine. Sticky notes? Yes, please. It also makes it easier to bring up a company in conversation.
• Your Product(s): while it does depend on what you’re selling, most of the time I’ll be very willing to accept it. Whether it’s a book you’ve written, a candle, or lip gloss. But be aware, I won’t touch anything with a strawberry scent, flavour, or extract in it – I’m highly allergic.

What I’m trying to say is: I’m very easily pleased. And while this isn’t technically working for free, it’s the way I wished the world would work. Trading for services. 

So, I suppose my question is, what would you trade for? 

My April Journal Challenge – Day 6 – episode is live. Check it out below!